Tonight's Movie: Come Live With Me (1941) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

It's hard to believe that it's been close to a dozen years since I reviewed the COME LIVE WITH ME (1941) DVD released by the Warner Archive Collection!

In addition to reviewing the DVD, I also previously posted a brief review of the film way back in 2006.

Clearly, it's a movie I like a great deal, revisiting it every few years, so I'm especially happy that it's now just been released on an absolutely lovely Blu-ray.

The exquisite Hedy Lamarr was never more beautiful than in this film. She plays "Johnny" Jones, an Austrian refugee on the verge of being deported from the U.S. back to her native country.

The prospect of deportation is upsetting to Johnny for two reasons; one is that she expects to be killed upon returning to Austria, as her father has previously been "eliminated" for expressing opinions which angered the wrong people.

The other reason she doesn't want to leave is that she's in love with publisher Barton Kendrick (Ian Hunter). Kendrick, alas, is a married man with a smart and understanding wife, Diana (Verree Teasdale); he expects in time he'll be able to divorce Diana and marry Johnny but things are not yet at that point.

When a sympathetic deportation agent (Barton MacLane) suggests to Johnny that she get married in order to remain in the U.S., she promptly proposes to Bill Smith (James Stewart), a penniless writer she chanced to meet. Johnny offers Bill an income, allowing him to work on his writing, in exchange for a temporary marriage "in name only."

Bill is soon smitten with his platonic wife and begins a wonderful manuscript which quickly sells...to publisher Barton Kendrick. Kendrick buys it at his wife Diana's urging, but as he begins to read it he realizes the circumstances sound familiar...and becomes apoplectic as he realizes another man is in love with his would-be fiancee.

As I wrote in my 2014 review, the plotting isn't quite perfect; the transition of Johnny's affections from Kendrick to Bill is fairly abrupt, and the film could have used more than its 86 minutes to more thoroughly delineate the evolution of her relationship with Bill. (One also tends to wonder how a character as intelligent as Johnny became involved with a married man in the first place! The script does what it can to soften things, but still.)

That said, these minor issues in Patterson McNutt's screenplay seem to melt away every time I see this film, which as outlined above is one I return to often. While I noted in a past review that Stewart's character is on the cranky side, I particularly noticed on this viewing how well he conveys his longing for Johnny.

The concluding bits about fireflies and flashlights play perfectly every single time and leave this viewer very happy.

I feel that the light touch of director Clarence Brown is a big reason the film works as well as it does. While the script directs the characters to do things that in other hands might render them unappealing, all four of the film's leads remain enjoyable thanks to movie's overall pleasant, upbeat tone.

In fact, when Kendrick realizes near movie's end that his wife has maneuvered the situation with Bill and Johnny to suit herself and her affection for her husband, Kendrick exclaims with admiration for Diana.

Brown, incidentally, has had several films released by the Warner Archive recently, including POSSESSED (1931), which I just reviewed, and LETTY LYNTON (1932), which I'll be reviewing in the very near future.

The film was beautifully shot in black and white by George Folsey, which is showed off to perfection in this Blu-ray print, taken from a 1080p HD master from 4K scans of the original nitrate camera negative.

Even if the movie was a poor one, just spending an hour and a half or so looking at Hedy Lamarr in exquisite Adrian dresses would be enjoyable. And happily, it's a very likeable film for many more reasons.

The supporting cast includes Adeline De Walt Reynolds, Edward Ashley, Donald Meek, Ann Codee, and Frank Faylen.

Disc extras consist of a pair of shorts, AMERICA PREFERRED (1941) and FROM THE FOUR CORNERS (1941); the cartoon OFFICER POOCH (1941); and the trailer.

Recommended.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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Tonight's Movie: The Long Arm (1956) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

A few days ago I reviewed CAGE OF GOLD (1950), my first film watched from Kino Lorber's Brit Noir Collection I.

I'll be watching more from that set soon, but first I jumped over to the new Brit Noir Collection II, also from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, and watched THE LONG ARM (1956).

THE LONG ARM, also known in Britain as THE THIRD KEY, is exactly my kind of movie, a police procedural with enjoyable leads and extensive, interesting location shooting.

THE LONG ARM, like the other two films in the set, stars Jack Hawkins. Here he plays Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Tom Halliday. It's of note that a couple years later he also played a Scotland Yard detective, in John Ford's GIDEON'S DAY (1958), which I hope to see soon.

Halliday is teamed for the first time with the younger Detective Sergeant Ward (John Stratton) and tasked with solving the overnight break-in of a safe.

It's a curious mystery as a supposed night watchman (Richard Leech) had let in police officers when the business's alarm went off -- but it turns out the real overnight watchman is in the hospital after emergency appendix surgery. It appears it was the burglar impersonating the watchman.

Soon there's another safe break-in at a different business, this time time resulting in a murder when the getaway car runs down a young worker (Ian Bannen).

Halliday and Ward painstakingly put together a series of clues and eventually arrive at a theory...

I love procedurals and found this a completely engrossing 96 minutes. The clues are nicely paced and interesting as they are discovered, creating a story which is both logical and believable.

Scenes with Halliday's wife (Dorothy Alison) and son (Michael Brooke) are somewhat less interesting, but they paint a sympathetic picture of what home life is like for a detective when he's in the middle of a hot case.

Hawkins is an actor I appreciate more as I see each of his movies, and he and Stratton, as his coworker, develop a friendly bantering relationship as they get to know one another.

Hawkins and Stratton, incidentally, had previously worked together on the excellent World War II film THE CRUEL SEA (1953). Director Charles Frend and cinematographer Gordon Dines also worked on both films.

The screenplay for THE LONG ARM was by Janet Green and Robert Barr from Barr's story, with additional dialogue by Dorothy and Campbell Christie.

The solid cast includes Geoffrey Keen as one of Halliday's colleagues; he's a familiar face as the minister of defence in several 007 movies, including my favorite THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977).

I've also seen Ian Bannen in a number of films from his long career, including EYE OF THE NEEDLE (1981), NIGHT CROSSING (1982), and HOPE AND GLORY (1987).

A sad note: None of the film's three leads, Hawkins, Stratton, or Alison, made it out of their 60s, dying at 62, 65, and 66, respectively.

The Blu-ray print and sound quality are excellent.

Disc extras consist of a commentary track by Laurence Lerman, plus half a dozen trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

Recommended.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray collection.

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Tonight's Movie: Ike: Countdown to D-Day (2004)

Independence Day weekend is always a good time to watch a patriotic film of any kind, and so I decided to watch IKE: COUNTDOWN TO D-DAY (2004), in which Tom Selleck stars as General Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower.

I bought this film in a sale several years ago but as so often happens, hadn't caught up with it yet simply due to so many viewing options. I lent the DVD to my late father in 2019, who commented "Very high recommendation on this film. Selleck was excellent."

My interest in seeing the film right now was sparked in part by my enjoyment of the new film PRESSURE (2026), as well as a D-Day revisit of THE LONGEST DAY (1962) last month.

IKE: COUNTDOWN TO D-DAY is a TV-movie which originally aired on cable's A&E Channel.

Written by Lionel Chetwynd and directed by Robert Harmon, the film traces General Eisenhower's decision-making process in the weeks and days leading up to D-Day on June 6, 1944.

Following the factual outlines of history means that IKE unfolds fairly similarly to PRESSURE, although in that case the focus was not just on Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) but meteorologist James Stagg (Andrew Scott). In IKE Stagg is a supporting character in several scenes, played by Christopher Baker.

I found the contrasts between Selleck and Fraser's portrayals of Eisenhower interesting, having seen them spaced about a month apart. Selleck portrays Eisenhower as more confident and less emotional than Fraser's more hot-tempered Ike; Selleck's relatively calm and buttoned-down persona is more in line with my mental images of Eisenhower. He insists to Churchill that he must have full command; he receives data from his many colleagues but is then firm and decisive.

That said, Ike does lay into his colleagues when it's needed. In that vein, my husband felt the movie didn't do right by General Patton (Gerald McRaney), turning him into too much of a cartoon in his single scene, which I felt was a fair criticism.

Otherwise, I found it quite an engrossing 89 minutes which I enjoyed very much; it's not often I wish a film were longer, but I would have been happy if it ran closer to the 100 minutes of PRESSURE, just because I found it a very engaging and interesting watch.

One of the scenes I especially enjoyed was General Eisenhower presenting the D-Day plans to King George (Mick Rose) and Queen Elizabeth (Carol Seay), a bit of history with which I hadn't previously been familiar.

The supporting cast includes Ian Mune as Winston Churchill, Timothy Bottoms as Walter Bedell "Beetle" Smith, Bruce Phillips as General Montgomery, James Remar as General Omar Bradley, and John Bach as Air Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory.

The movie was filmed by David Gribble.

A curious note: Ike is seen watching the Technicolor film COVER GIRL (1944), but it's projected for the soldiers in black and white.

IKE: COUNTDOWN TO D-DAY would make a good double bill with DARKEST HOUR (2017), which focuses on Churchill during the earlier years of the war. It would also play well with THE GALLANT HOURS (1960), another film which focuses on high-level decision making by military leaders during the war, in that case Fleet Admiral Halsey (James Cagney.

The IKE DVD includes a commentary track with Selleck plus the writer and director, as well as a featurette. Optional English-language captions are provided.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Happy Independence Day, and Happy 250th Birthday to the United States of America!

...A new biography of director Frank Capra is on the way: FRANK CAPRA by Sam Wasson is due out from Harper in October.

...Farran Smith Nehme, aka the Self-Styled Siren, has republished a terrific piece she wrote in 2012 on I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE (1951) with Susan Hayward, George Sanders, and Dan Dailey.

...Colin's latest essay at Riding the High Country is on THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON (1949) starring Barbara Stanwyck and Wendell Corey, directed by Robert Siodmak.

...Coming soon from Kino Lorber Studio Classics: MURDER BY THE CLOCK (1931) starring William "Stage" Boyd (not the William Boyd who played Hopalong Cassidy), Lilyan Tashman, and Regis Toomey...A release date has been firmed up for THE WAR WAGON (1967), coming from Kino Lorber on Blu-ray or 4K. It will be out August 25th.

...Glenn Erickson's new reviews include the Warner Archive Blu-ray release of THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (1944) starring Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, and a terrific cast.

...Thoughts on Westerns: Chris Yogerst has written about "10 Classic Western Movies No One Talks About Anymore" for MovieWeb. Although I found the title exaggerated, Chris's opinions are always worth checking out...I also enjoy Hannah Long's reviews and ratings of Westerns at Letterboxd.

...More reviews I've enjoyed recently: Katie Carter takes a look at TOY STORY 5 (2026) at her site Katie at the Movies...DforDoom reviews WRITTEN ON THE WIND (1956) at Classic Movie Ramblings...and at 50 Westerns From the 50s Toby reviewed Errol Flynn in SAN ANTONIO (1945), out on Warner Archive Blu-ray.

...Wish I'd been able to see one of director Guillermo del Toro's presentations on Alfred Hitchcock at the Academy Museum Theater, I've heard good things from several people. Jim Hemphill wrote about it for Indiewire.

...It's always fun to check out the latest movies watched by Phyllis of Phyllis Loves Classic Movies.

 

...Notable Passings: Actor Joby Baker, who worked in films and TV steadily from the '50s through the '80s, has died at 92...British actress Penelope Keith has passed on at 86.

 

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my June 27th column.

 

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Happy 4th of July!

Happy 250th birthday, America!

This year's Independence Day studio publicity photos feature Piper Laurie. Here's another shot from the same session:

May God continue to bless and protect the United States of America.

Happy Independence Day!

Previous Independence Day photos: 2012 (Susan Hayward), 2013 (Susan Hayward and Virginia Dale), 2014 (Vera-Ellen and Cyd Charisse), 2015 (Ava Gardner), 2016 (Jeanne Crain), 2017 (Debbie Reynolds and Jane Powell), 2018 (Alexis Smith), 2019 (Ann Blyth), 2020 (Ann Miller), 2021 (Penny Edwards), 2022 (Gloria DeHaven), 2023 (Doris Day), 2024 (Joan Caulfield), and 2025 (Carole Landis).

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TCM in July: Highlights

Happy July and Happy Summer!

It's now time for a detailed look at July schedule on Turner Classic Movies.

This post is being published a bit later than usual due to a heavy workload ahead of the holiday weekend. There are lots of fun things ahead this summer on TCM!

July will feature a "theme month" for the Star of the Month programming, featuring "Singers as Stars." Films with a wide variety of singers, with backgrounds in jazz, rock, country, big bands, and more will be featured on Monday evenings.

The TCM Spotlight on Tuesdays features American independent filmmakers.

The July Noir Alley films will be ANGEL FACE (1953) on July 4th and 5th, BLUES IN THE NIGHT (1941) July 11th-12, DARK PASSAGE (1947) on the 18th and 19th, and THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME (1956) on July 25th and 26th.

Eddie Muller's Summer of Darkness, featuring some of the greatest film noir titles of all time, continues on Friday evenings this month. Every title is a classic -- by all means, tune in!

Also of note: John Carpenter has curated and is cohosting evenings of horror films on July 16th and 23rd, and Alicia Malone hosts "Summer Romance" again this month on Sundays.

Here's a look at just some of the interesting programming ahead in July.

...Late on July 3rd is the TCM premiere of AGAINST ALL ODDS (1984), the Jeff Bridges-Rachel Ward remake of OUT OF THE PAST (1947). Jane Greer, star of the original film, is in the supporting cast, along with Paul Valentine, who played Joe in the original.

...The Musical Matinee franchise features 1776 (1972) on Independence Day. Other musicals airing on the 4th are (of course!) YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942) and THE MUSIC MAN (1962).

...The Sunday lineup on July 5th includes the very good marital melodrama CASS TIMBERLANE (1947), starring Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, and Zachary Scott.

...July 6th, the first evening of the "Singers as Stars" series, includes a film I've never seen, NEW ORLEANS (1947), featuring Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong.

...The first Spotlight series evening on American Independent filmmakers on July 7th includes THE HITCH-HIKER (1953), directed by Ida Lupino.

...July 9th features movies set in hot weather, including HEAT LIGHTNING (1934), starring Aline MacMahon, Preston Foster, Glenda Farrell, and Ann Dvorak, among others. A very worthwhile film.

...Myrna Loy, Robert Montgomery, and Ann Harding star in WHEN LADIES MEET (1933) on July 11th. Can't beat that cast!

...There's more Robert Montgomery on July 12th, when he's teamed with Bette Davis in the entertaining JUNE BRIDE (1948).

...July 13th presents a day of films with screenplays by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, including one of my favorite MGM musicals, the colorful GOOD NEWS (1947).

...TCM honors Jill Clayburgh on July 15th, premiering three of her films including the entertaining STARTING OVER (1979), costarring Burt Reynolds and Candice Bergen.

...Ginger Rogers receives a birthday salute on July 16th. The eight films shown include HAVING WONDERFUL TIME (1938), a perfect summertime film, and one of my favorites from her collaboration with Fred Astaire, CAREFREE (1938).

...There's more Ginger on July 17th as party of a lineup about babies and children, with her classic BACHELOR MOTHER (1939).

...Dave Karger's Musical Matinee features Margaret O'Brien in MGM's THE UNFINISHED DANCE (1947) on July 18th. It's an interesting movie with a good supporting cast, including Cyd Charisse, Karin Booth, Danny Thomas, and Elinor Donahue.

...I've never seen the Julie Andrews-Walter Matthau version of LITTLE MISS MARKER (1980), so my DVR will be running when the film makes its TCM premiere on July 19th. Also showing that night: the 1934 Shirley Temple version of the story.

...July 20th features films directed by the great Clarence Brown, including the classic MGM Americana THE HUMAN COMEDY (1943).

...A day of films with the word "lucky" in the title on July 21st includes Ginger Rogers and Ronald Colman in LUCKY PARTNERS (1940). Ginger fans have many chances to enjoy her in July!

...The Val Lewton classic THE LEOPARD MAN (1943) will air on July 23rd. It stars Dennis O'Keefe and Jean Brooks. There's more Lewton that evening, including CAT PEOPLE (1942). Both THE LEOPARD MAN and CAT PEOPLE were directed by Jacques Tourneur.

...It's always a good time to watch THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938)! It airs on July 25th.

...Deborah Kerr and Trevor Howard star in I SEE A DARK STRANGER (1946), also known as THE ADVENTURESS, on July 26th.

...One of my favorite days on the schedule is a dozen "B" films written by Robert E. Kent. Lots of fun stuff to explore, some of the films under an hour long. I called one of the films, BULLET SCARS (1942), a "peach of a 'B' movie," and called I WAS FRAMED (1942) "pleasant." The day also includes an all-time favorite "B," TWO O'CLOCK COURAGE (1945), starring Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford. Tune in June 27th!

...I had the pleasure of revisiting Val Lewton's I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943) at this year's Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival. It stars Frances Dee and Tom Conway, directed by Jacques Tourneur. Conway appears in multiple films on TCM this month, including CAT PEOPLE and TWO O'CLOCK COURAGE. I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE is on July 29th.

...There's a strong day of Edward G. Robinson films on July 30th, including THE STRANGER (1946) with Orson Welles and Loretta Young.

...The month concludes on July 31st with a day of pre-Code crime films including the delightful PENTHOUSE (1933), starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy.

For more on TCM in July 2026, please visit my Quick Preview of TCM in July along with TCM's online schedule.

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Tonight's Movie: Under Arizona Skies (1946) and Range Justice (1949) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

I spent my Sunday evening enjoying the Monogram Matinee Volume 3 from the Warner Archive Collection.

This one-disc Blu-ray set features two "B" Westerns, UNDER ARIZONA SKIES (1946) and RANGE JUSTICE (1949), both starring Johnny Mack Brown.

The first film, UNDER ARIZONA SKIES, runs 59 minutes and was directed by Lambert Hillyer.

Brown plays Dusty Smith, who as the movie opens breaks up a crooked card game. Dusty saves money from being swindled from a rancher (Frank LaRue) who's in ill health and is rewarded with the offer of a job. The rancher also hopes that Dusty can rein in his heir to the ranch, hotheaded Bill (Riley Hill).

Before long Bill reforms, to the relief of his fiancee Cindy (Reno Blair), and helps Dusty solve cattle rustlings.

The story, written by J. Benton Cheney from a story by John McCarthy, was the stronger of the two films in the set, and there was also some outstanding black and white location photography, by Harry Neumann; some of the film appeared to be shot at Iverson Movie Ranch.

The film features music by Smith Ballew and the Sons of the Sage. The supporting cast includes Raymond Hatton, Tristram Coffin, and Reed Howes. The cast all go through their paces in expected fashion, though Blair, in her film debut, seems more comfortable on a horse than delivering dialogue.

I'm a fan of Johnny Mack Brown, and while some of his films are better scripted, UNDER ARIZONA SKIES qualifies as a pleasant "B" Western with pleasing ingredients, including striking locations and enjoyable Western music.

RANGE JUSTICE is the shorter of the two films, running 57 minutes. It was directed by Ray Taylor and, like UNDER ARIZONA SKIES, it was filmed by Harry Neumann.

This time around, with a screenplay written by Ronald Davidson, Johnny Mack Brown takes a job working for elderly -- but very feisty -- Ma Curtis (Sarah Padden) and must protect her ranch from the villains.

Johnny Mack's helpful comic relief sidekick in this film is Max Terhune, rather than Raymond Hatton, but there are other familiar faces in the cast; Tristram Coffin is back for this one, and Riley Hill once again plays the younger male lead.

RANGE JUSTICE is fairly run of the mill, but for me any time spent with Johnny Mack Brown is worthwhile.

These are both modest but enjoyable films, shown to their very best advantage here thanks to the Warner Archive Collection.

The prints in this set come from 1080p HD masters from new 4K scans of the "best preservation elements." They look very good, though RANGE JUSTICE's sunlight scenes sometimes seem just a bit overexposed; that may be something inherent in the original print. Sound quality is strong.

Both movies have optional English-language captions; as an aside, Warner Archive fans may be aware that this is an upgrade from the Warner Archive's older Monogram Cowboy DVD Collections, which like most Warner Archive DVDs did not have captions. There are no extras.

I previously reviewed Brown's WESTERN RENEGADES (1949) in the Monogram Matinee Collection Volume 1, and I've also reviewed Monogram Matinee Collection Volume 2, which featured films starring Jimmie Davis and Jimmy Wakely. Here's hoping for more Monogram Matinee sets, and soon!

Thanks to the Warner Archive and Allied Vaughn for providing a review copy of this collection. This set may be purchased from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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Tonight's Movie: The Texas Rangers (1936) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

THE TEXAS RANGERS (1936), directed by King Vidor and starring Fred MacMurray, has just been released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

Vidor also produced and teamed with Elizabeth Hill to cowrite the story; Louis Stevens wrote the screenplay of this 98-minute film. The story was inspired by a book by Walter Prescott Webb.

I'll add off the top that this film is not connected with the 1951 George Montgomery film of the same title, although Montgomery plays a character not too dissimilar from MacMurray's.

In this 1936 film MacMurray, Jack Oakie, and Lloyd Nolan play a trio of outlaws on the Texas frontier; MacMurray and Oakie are separated from Nolan when escaping a posse. Broke and hungry, the two men sign on with the Texas Rangers -- three meals a day! -- thinking their criminal careers will benefit from insider information.

Instead the men are changed by their new jobs -- and in the case of MacMurray, the love of sweet and spunky Jean Parker -- and they decide to stick with law enforcement.

However, they haven't counted on being assigned to go after their old pal Nolan...

It's hard to believe I first saw this film 17 years ago this summer, in August of 2009. I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit it, especially in the light of so many Westerns seen in the intervening years, and was glad to see it again.

When I reviewed it on DVD back then I found it "entertaining," if "a bit pokey," and that's pretty much where I landed this time; I do think I enjoyed it incrementally more now due to the fine Blu-ray print and having developed a greater appreciation for both Jack Oakie and Lloyd Nolan. It's a solid film which was worth a fresh look.

MacMurray is fine as the conflicted Texas Ranger, if a bit dour; it's a relief when his character shows a more lighthearted side in his interactions with Parker.

I particularly appreciated MacMurray's scenes with Nolan near the end, especially a moment where MacMurray tries to warn Nolan off to prevent future conflict. Nolan coming to MacMurray's rescue in a dicey situation is charismatically played, as only Nolan could do, and similarly Nolan's betrayal of an old friend is quite shocking.

Charming Parker livens things up as MacMurray's forthright love interest, and I only wish she'd had a bit more to do, especially as she helps MacMurray's character evolution.

The supporting cast includes Edward Ellis, George "Gabby" Hayes, Bennie Bartlett, and Fred Kohler Sr.

The film has more enthusiastic advocates, but I find it fairly average, though in the context of when it was made, in the pre-STAGECOACH (1939) era, it's polished and has good production values. The location shooting in New Mexico, with sweeping views of some impressive action set pieces, is a real plus.

THE TEXAS RANGERS was filmed in black and white by Edward Cronjager, shown to best advantage in Kino Lorber's outstanding Blu-ray print. It's a 4K restoration by Universal Pictures in collaboration with the Film Foundation, using 35mm nitrate fine grain material. This is definitely the way to see this movie; the excellent visuals really added to my overall enjoyment. I was impressed.

Disc extras consist of two commentary tracks, one by Toby Roan and the other by Heath Holland and Max Allan Collins. Also included are the trailer and a gallery of five additional trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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Tonight's Movie: The Big Combo (1955) - An Ignite Films Blu-ray Review

I first saw THE BIG COMBO (1955) in 2012, as part of a special "noir" evening at the historic Million Dollar Theater in Downtown Los Angeles.

I was relatively new to film noir then, and THE BIG COMBO initially baffled me a bit, but before very long I was completely caught up in its magic.

As I wrote 14 years ago: "...as the film went on, I found myself falling under its spell, thanks to a combination of unforgettably staged set pieces and the stunning black and white cinematography of John Alton. For anyone who wants to know what film noir looks like, this film is Exhibit A. What at first had appeared cartoonish gradually seemed to morph into high style, taking the viewer on something of a noir thrill ride."

My love for THE BIG COMBO has only deepened with successive viewings over the years, so I'm especially happy to say that the film is now available in an impressive 70th Anniversary edition from Ignite Films.

The print is a digital restoration from the 35mm "fine grain," with audio sourced from a UCLA-Film Foundation restoration.

It's available from Ignite in four different formats, utilizing various combinations of 4K, Blu-ray, and steel books, as outlined at the Ignite site; this review is of the 2-disc Blu-ray Standard Edition.

It bears noting near the top of this review that this set also contains a separate feature film, THE CROOKED WAY (1949), starring John Payne and Ellen Drew, directed by Robert Florey and, like THE BIG COMBO, filmed by John Alton.

THE BIG COMBO, directed by Joseph H. Lewis and written by Philip Yordan, drops viewers right into the middle of dramatic conflicts, very memorably filmed by Alton and scored by David Raksin.

Lt. Leonard Diamond (Cornel Wilde) is obsessed with bringing down a mobster known in the film only as "Mr. Brown" (Richard Conte).

Diamond is also more than a little obsessed with Brown's troubled, gorgeous mistress Susan (Jean Wallace, who was then Mrs. Wilde offscreen). He's determined to bring down Brown and save Susan, despite budgetary pressures from his boss (Robert Middleton) and having a sometime girlfriend of his own (Helene Stanton).

That's really the entire plot of this fast-paced 87-minute film in a nutshell, but it's how the film is presented which makes it truly unique; as I also wrote in 2012, "The film has a constant capacity to surprise." This ranges from creatively staged murders to character relationships to one of the steamiest scenes ever put on film -- and it does all of this without being graphic in the least.

The superb supporting cast includes Brian Donlevy, Helen Walker, Lee Van Cleef, Earl Holliman, Jay Adler, and John Hoyt, who all sketch indelible characters.

Rather than reinventing the proverbial wheel, I'd like to suggest that readers briefly click over to my extensive 2012 piece for deeper character and performance analysis, while my main focus here is detailing Ignite's spectacular new set.

Ignite's restored print is outstanding, with excellent sound. Discs don't come any better, especially factoring in the wealth of extras along with a top-quality print.

As mentioned above, I've reviewed the two-disc standard Blu-ray edition. THE BIG COMBO and all new extras are on Disc One. The new supplements include a commentary track by the always-excellent historian Imogen Sara Smith and an interview with author Philippe Garnier, plus a featurette on the making of the film. Finally, Disc One includes the trailer.

Eddie Muller's commentary track, originally recorded for a 2018 Arrow Academy release, is also included on Disc One.

Disc Two features the film THE CROOKED WAY (1949), mentioned near the top of this review, along with older "legacy" extras on THE BIG COMBO, including a featurette on director Joseph H. Lewis and another featurette with film historian Geoff Andrew.

The Standard Edition Blu-ray comes in a plastic case with reversible cover art and a cardboard slipcover, which also features distinctive art on each side.

A glossy booklet with half a dozen essays on the film is included, as well as five postcards representing some of the movie's most memorable scenes.

Both THE BIG COMBO and Ignite's release are very highly recommended.

Thanks to Ignite Films for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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